Innocence Lost
by Azure Umbra
Summary: Takes place after "Before the Cave": The definitive alternate take on the cave incident. What will become of these brothers' relationship after this defining ordeal?


"Mao Mao!" Bao Bao the cream-furred dog cried out in terror. He raced over to the green-garbed black cat trapped by the fallen boulder despite said cat having attacked him earlier.

Mao Mao half-grunted and cried as he made feeble attempts to free himself from the giant rock that was crushing his entrapped tail. The pain was so intense that he couldn't even scream; in fact, the pain was all that was keeping him from noticing his adoptive canine brother going around him, looking for a way he could move the boulder off the cat's tail.

Bao Bao heaved and grunted as he tried pushing and rolling away the rock with his own two paws, but it didn't even budge. Pushing against it with his back only yielded the same fruitless result. After several more attempts, Bao Bao slumped to the ground, his eyes first wandering back and forth between Mao Mao's anguished face and crushed tail, and then to the big sheathed sword still hanging on his own back. With another look at Mao Mao, Bao Bao shut his eyes tight as he reached for his sword. "Mao Mao," he said, "I need you to look at me for a sec…"

* * *

Bao Bao held his black cat brother tight as he listened to him scream and cry even louder than before. It may have been simple and quick, but Bao Bao was sure he almost drove himself mad from willing himself to do it in the first place. _"There was no other way,"_ he kept telling himself, _"…no other way."_ The minutes felt like hours as he heard Mao Mao's crying quiet down, slowing to the point they were mere whimpers and sniffles.

"Mao Mao? Buddy?" the dog quietly asked, but Mao Mao remained quiet, only his breathing could be heard. Bao Bao held on to Mao Mao, getting ready to stand up. "Come on, let me help you up. Let's go ho-"

A sudden violent shove sent him tumbling onto the rocky ground. The dog looked up to see Mao Mao staring down at him with bared teeth and eyes widened in tearful rage. "Mao Mao?" he gasped in shock.

"You…YOU…" Mao Mao growled with a revitalized anger before screaming, "HOW COULD YOU?"

"M-Mao Mao," Bao Bao stammered, "I-I'm sorry. I tried, but-"

"Look at you? Look at you!? Look at ME! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

"Mao Mao, please! I'm sorry!" Bao Bao reached for his brother's trembling form. "You'll be okay! We'll get home, I'll patch you up, and-"

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME!" Mao Mao cut him off again, whipping his paw to knock away Bao Bao's own with painful force. "IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT DAD LIKES YOU MORE THAN ME! NOW YOU DO THIS!?"

Now Bao Bao began to feel the entire situation was turning slightly ridiculous. "Mao Mao! You were stuck! I couldn't get it off you! I had to get you out somehow!"

"Oh, and that was your best plan!? Cutting me up!?"

Bao Bao tried to reach out for Mao Mao again. "Bro, come on…"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Mao Mao again swatted away Bao Bao's paw. "Dad already calls you 'son', so why do you care?"

Again, that's what this is about? Bao Bao had too many things running through his mind at the moment. He tried to stay focused on getting his cat brother home for treatment for his now-missing tail. "Br- Mao Mao! Let me help you!"

"NO!" Now Mao Mao's eyes were squeezed shut, water already beginning to form outside them. "YOU HELPED ENOUGH, YOU- YOU TRAITOROUS DOG!" Bao Bao froze in silence, his eyes widened in shock as Mao Mao continued, "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

It took seeing Mao Mao turning and dashing towards the entrance of the cave for the dog to snap out of his momentary stupor. "Mao Mao! Come back! I'm sorry! I'm-"

"NO! SHUT UP! I HATE YOU! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" Mao Mao didn't even turn to look back at his adoptive brother. He just kept running until he disappeared into the sunlight shining into the mouth of the cave.

* * *

Bao Bao didn't know how long he had been sitting there on his knees, staring at the cave entrance leading to the outside. At that point, he honestly didn't care. He just stared ahead like he was hypnotized, Mao Mao's final words replaying in his head again and again. He remembered him and Mao Mao having had an argument earlier before all of this happened, which led to a physical brawl between them. For the moment though, he couldn't remember what they were fighting over - he just hoped it was something important, and he had a good feeling that it probably was.

_"Bro…"_


End file.
